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Hoey leaves Horizon due to McIlroy star treatment

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Days after winning his fourth European Tour title at the Trophee Hassan II, Ulsterman Michael Hoey has decided to end his relationship with Horizon Sports Management. Hoey cited a shift by the Conor Ridge-led agency to focus on star client, world No. 2 Rory McIlroy.

“So I have been thinking about if for some time and it’s not as though I’m dropping Conor without any notice,” Hoey said, according to the Irish Herald. “But with Rory now on board and playing more in the States their management has changed and altered.”

The decision does not come hastily, however. Hoey said he had been considering the move since this time last year. He and his wife, Bev, met with Ridge at the Barclays Singapore Open in November to discuss the future. McIlroy had signed with Dublin-based Horizon after leaving Chubby Chandler and International Sports Management in October.

Ranked No. 74 in the world and with three wins in the last 12 months, Hoey will pursue future opportunities on his own.

“I was in a business relationship with Horizon but I feel I was not benefiting from any business in the arrangement as much as I could have been,” he said.